It will be difficult for Catholics to continue working with Amnesty International if it adopts a policy of supporting abortion as a human right, say the Canadian bishops.

LifeSiteNews reports that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) early this week issued a statement saying they "would find it most regrettable if Amnesty International were to adopt a position promoting access to abortion."

Amnesty International Canada will decide whether or not to support abortion as a human right later this year and in 2007.

According to reporters who have spoken to Amnesty International's leadership, the organisation is most concerned about the potential loss of support stemming from their proposed move into abortion advocacy.

The CCCB statement strikes at the heart of that fear noting that the move will taint the organisation's work and cut funding from Catholics.

"Such a change in policy would be considered by the Catholic Bishops of Canada to be a step backwards for an organisation that has done such outstanding work in defending human life and the rights of the most vulnerable," said the bishops.

"This change in policy would make it difficult for Catholics to continue supporting the work of Amnesty International."

The bishops states, "As clearly and consistently affirmed in the teachings of the Catholic Church, the purposeful destruction of the human embryo is immoral." They conclude noting that "Christians are called to be 'people of life and for life.'

"This involves choosing life in small ways and large, standing up for life even when it is small and fragile, like the embryo, and supporting couples who struggle. The Scriptures proclaim that faith and life are integrally related."

The Canadian bishops' statement follows a similar warning last month by Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice and the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.